Ali Suavi

In today's world, Ali Suavi has become a topic of great relevance and interest to various people around the world. Since its emergence, Ali Suavi has captured the attention of experts and enthusiasts alike, generating in-depth debates, research and analysis around its implications and repercussions. With a palpable impact on contemporary society, Ali Suavi has managed to permeate different areas of daily life, from politics to popular culture, becoming a phenomenon that leaves no one indifferent. In this article, we will thoroughly explore the various aspects related to Ali Suavi, its evolution over time and its influence on different aspects of today's society.

In this Ottoman Turkish style name, the given name is Ali Suavi. There is no family name.

Ali Suavi
Born8 December 1839
Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Died20 May 1878(1878-05-20) (aged 38)
Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
OccupationEducator
NationalityOttoman

Ali Suavi (Ottoman Turkish: علی سعاوی; 8 December 1839 – 20 May 1878) was an Ottoman Turk political activist, journalist, educator, theologian and reformer. He was exiled to Kastamonu because of his writings against Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz. He is one of the first Pan-Turkists in the Ottoman period.[1][2]

Biography

A photograph of Ali Suavi taken by Abdullah Biraderler

He taught at an elementary school in Bursa, preached at the Sehzade Mosque in Constantinople (now Istanbul), wrote for Filip (Philip) Efendi’s newspaper Muhbir, and worked in different positions at offices in Simav, Plovdiv, and Sofia. He was a member of the Young Ottomans and editor of its official journal. He was also one of the contributors of pan-Islamist newspaper Basiret.[3]

In 1867 he escaped prosecution by fleeing to Paris along with fellow Young Ottomans Namık Kemal and Ziya Pasha, where he stayed until Abdülaziz was dethroned in 1876.[4] With his background in journalism, Suavi was placed in charge of the first Young Ottoman publication to appear in Europe, Muhbir. The newspaper eventually became an embarrassment to the Young Ottomans, who soon thereafter requested that Suavi remove the Young Ottoman association with the publication. Suavi drifted around to various cities in Europe and grew bitter against the Young Ottomans, continuing to publish in other venues, including a newspaper named "Ulûm Gazetesi" (Journal of Sciences) he wrote, edited, and published himself.[5] He lambasted both the republican Young Ottomans and the monarchist Ottoman Sultan's government alike as enemies of the people. Despite his opposition to the contemporary Sultan's government, Suavi's writings showed great respect to the institution of the Sultan, which in his belief would best be filled, for the common good of the people, by an enlightened absolutist.

After the conservative Abdul Hamid II became sultan, Suavi attempted a coup in 1878 known as the Çırağan incident in an attempt to end the increasing authoritarianism and reinstall Murad V, who had been sympathetic to liberal ideals. The coup failed and Ali Suavi was killed in the attempt. According to "İngiliz" ("English") Said Pasha,[6] moments before his death, Ali Suavi took Murad's arm and said to him, "O our Lord, come, deliver us from the Muscovites." ("Aman efendimiz, gel bizi Moskoflardan ḫalâṣ et.")[7]

Publications

  • A Propos de L'Herzegovine (Regarding Herzegovina, Paris, 1876)
  • Ali Paşa'nın Siyaseti (The Politics of Ali Paşa, 1908)
  • Defter-i Âmâl-i Ali Paşa (Defter-i Amal-i* of Ali Paşa, Paris, ?)
  • Devlet Yüz On Altı Buçuk Milyon Borçtan Kurtuluyor (The Government Gets Out of a One Hundred and *Sixteen and a Half Million Debt, Paris, 1875)
  • Hive (Hive, Paris 1874, İstanbul 1910)
  • Hukuku'ş-Şevari (Ways of the Law, translation from Gazali, 1808)
  • Montenegro (Montenegro, Paris, 1876)
  • Nesayih-i Ebu Hanife Kamusu'l Ulûm Vel Maârif (Nesayih-i Ebu Hanife, Dictionary of Science and *Education, an unfinished essay of encyclopedia, 1870)
  • Saydu'l Mefkûd (The Lost Prey, 2 volumes)
  • Taharriyat-ı Suavi alâ Tarih-i Türk (The Research of Suavi on Turkish History)
  • Usul-i Fıkıh Nam Risalenin Tercümesi (Translation of the Pamphlet named Methodology of the Canon Law, London, 1868)

Further reading

  • Johnson, Aaron S. (June 2012). "A Revolutionary Young Ottoman" (PDF). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) - PhD thesis at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University - Profile

References

  1. ^ "Ali̇ Suâvi̇".
  2. ^ Ali Suâviʼnin Türkçülüğü ,İsmail Hami Danişmend · Vakit Matbaası, 1942
  3. ^ Murat Cankara (2015). "Rethinking Ottoman Cross-Cultural Encounters: Turks and the Armenian Alphabet". Middle Eastern Studies. 51 (1): 6. doi:10.1080/00263206.2014.951038. S2CID 144548203.
  4. ^ Erimtan, Can (30 March 2008). Ottomans Looking West?: The Origins of the Tulip Age and Its Development in Modern Turkey. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-84511-491-6.
  5. ^ Tekin, Kenan. "A Journal of Science without Boundaries: Ali Suavi’s Ulûm Gazetesi." In International Perspectives on Publishing Platforms, 178-182. Routledge, 2019. ISBN 978-0-429-49151-1.
  6. ^ He wasn't English nor British, the reason why he was called as such resulted from him speaking English fluently and being pro-British in foreign policy.
  7. ^ Çağlar, Burhan (2010). İngiliz Said Paşa ve Günlüğü (Jurnal) (1st ed.). İstanbul: Arı Sanat. p. 143. ISBN 9944742252. Retrieved 1 February 2025.

Further reading


Stub icon

This Ottoman biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.